Italy extends lockdown
Health officials believe it is too soon to consider lifting restrictions
Italy has been on lockdown for three weeks now and an end was in sight, with lockdown due to be lifted on Friday (3 April). But it has now been extended until Easter (at least 12 April). This is for good reason, though, given that the lockdown seems to have been effective − Luca Richeldi, a government adviser, said that this was ‘a reason for us to be even stricter’ and that the country was in ‘a very long battle’.
‘Slow and steady wins the race’ is a phrase that springs to mind; patience and perseverance seem to be key in effectively tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.
The country has reported a declining infection rate; the number of new infections reported on Monday 30 March was 1,648, compared with 3,815 the previous day. Unfortunately, though, the death toll rose − 812 reported deaths, compared with 756 the day before. Indeed, Italy has been the world’s hardest hit country in terms of death toll, which some have speculated is due to the country’s ageing population, with the virus hitting the oldest demographic harder. According to the government, a total of 11,591 have died in the country.